Dark Arts Theater is THE horror and heavy metal podcast. Join host J. Thorn in a celebration of his favorite movies, music and books. Don’t be afraid of the dark—embrace it.

Dark Arts Theater 2.1 – That New Jersey Metal Show with Don Jamieson
When it comes to heavy metal, Don Jamieson knows his sh*t. Join J. and Don (co-host of VH1 Classic’s That Metal Show) for a conversation about New Jersey music, the current heavy metal scene and some of the best new bands coming out of the Garden State. Plus, catch a bonus bad-ass music video from Crobot.

“I’m feeling very sad at the moment, in fact devastated, because one of my best friends died yesterday. I miss him already. His name was Phil Taylor, or Philthy Animal, and he was our drummer twice in our career. Now he’s died and it really pisses me off that they take somebody like him and leave George Bush alive. So muse on that.”
-Lemmy

Motörhead was a huge influence on me as both a musician and writer. The band set the stage for the heavy metal movement and Taylor’s style of drumming has influenced every thrash and metal band since. R.I.P., Philthy Animal.

Last week I was granted permission to create a multimedia adaptation of a piece of fiction by one of my idols, Clive Barker. Details will be forthcoming. In celebration, please enjoy the original cinematic trailer for Barker’s 1987 masterpiece, Hellraiser.

I really can’t believe this video is 23 years old. Make sure to check out the post I wrote back in 2012 about Kyuss and their landmark album, Blues for the Red Sun. But do that later. Right now, lean back in your chair and crank. This. Up.

37 years ago today, John Carpenter introduced us to Michael Myers and a film franchise that would become one of the most recognizable in the world of horror. In the spirit of Halloween, both the holiday and the movie, Dark Arts Theater is proud to present the original movie trailer (with cool trivia courtesy of POP-UP TRAILER) as the first installment of a new segment called DAT Favs.

Fight the dead. Fear the living. Put the damn seat down. I’m pretty sure that’s the tagline for The Walking Dead. Having a group of only men isn’t enough to survive the zombie apocalypse, well, for obvious reasons. But in addition to their child-bearing chops, these female warriors also must be hardened, tough and ready to fight. And when I say the DAT Top three alpha females of The Walking Dead are full of bad-assery, I’m not just making up words. I am, but you know what I mean. The women can’t cower and cry when the walkers arrive. They have to fight and sometimes the living are more of a threat than the dead. If I had to face the end with a femme fatale next to me, you can be sure it’d be one of these alpha females of The Walking Dead.

Attributions and Permissions

All audio, video and images sourced from the public domain, used under the Creative Commons licensing guidelines and/or covered under fair use (such as commentary, search engines, criticism, parody, news reporting, research, teaching, library archiving and scholarship). For more information on Creative Commons licensing, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/. For more information on Fair Use, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use.

Fight the dead. Fear the living. When you find yourself surrounded by The Walking Dead, what will you do to survive? Who will you turn to for protection against the zombie walkers? If television has taught us anything about the zombie apocalypse it’s that you’ll die without a strong alpha male in your group. Whether your leader wears an evil eye patch or a mountain man beard, an alpha male must lead the quest for survival. The Walking Dead is chocked full of kick-ass characters including several alpha females we’ll talk about at another time. In this installment of the DAT Top Three, we’re going to recognize those alpha males on the show who keep us coming back for more.

Attributions and Permissions

All audio, video and images sourced from the public domain, used under the Creative Commons licensing guidelines and/or covered under fair use (such as commentary, search engines, criticism, parody, news reporting, research, teaching, library archiving and scholarship). For more information on Creative Commons licensing, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/. For more information on Fair Use, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use.

Special Pick Three Edition: Who best represents the combination of horror and heavy metal?

Marilyn Manson, Alice Cooper, or Rob Zombie?

Who do you think Facebook voted for the most? The least? You must sign up to win and registration is free. Click on “register” on the DAT Pick 3 page at http://DarkArtsTheater.com/datpick3 and submit your ballot. Remember, you can earn a total of 9 points (5 points for the #1 choice, 3 points for the #2 choice and 1 point for the #3 choice). All points earned count towards the annual grand prize.

This month you’re playing for a $25 Amazon gift card and a box of Zombie Tarot cards.

Let’s play!

Attributions and Permissions

All audio, video and images sourced from the public domain, used under the Creative Commons licensing guidelines and/or covered under fair use (such as commentary, search engines, criticism, parody, news reporting, research, teaching, library archiving and scholarship). For more information on Creative Commons licensing, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/. For more information on Fair Use, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use.

Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to talk with incredible people. About three years ago I started conducting interviews and posting the transcripts on my blog. In this somewhat different version of The DAT Top Three, I’d like to share these with you. Go to http://darkartstheater.com/classicinterviews to get access to all of these fascinating interviews. I’ll put that link in the show notes as well.

Attributions and Permissions

All audio, video and images sourced from the public domain, used under the Creative Commons licensing guidelines and/or covered under fair use (such as commentary, search engines, criticism, parody, news reporting, research, teaching, library archiving and scholarship). For more information on Creative Commons licensing, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/. For more information on Fair Use, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use.

TV has come a long way, baby. Production value and writing continues to improve and with independent content producers getting into the game, some new television shows look as good as motion pictures. And yet, horror remains tucked away in the dark corners and out of the mainstream. Our best kept secrets hidden. However, some shows have crossed over into popular culture and those chosen few are the ones we’re celebrating here on the DAT Top Three Modern Horror TV Shows.

Attributions and Permissions

All audio, video and images sourced from the public domain, used under the Creative Commons licensing guidelines and/or covered under fair use (such as commentary, search engines, criticism, parody, news reporting, research, teaching, library archiving and scholarship). For more information on Creative Commons licensing, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/. For more information on Fair Use, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use.